Abu Dhabi, UAE :: Logos Hope partners with the Department of Culture and Tourism at the 32nd Annual Abu Dhabi International Bookfair.
As a ship renowned for having the world’s largest floating bookfair, Logos Hope was honoured to partner with the Department of Culture and Tourism for the 32nd Abu Dhabi International Bookfair. The bookfair, held annually, brings together a variety of authors, creatives and publishers to share stories and ideas through books and other media.
One such author is Haya Alkasem. Previously teaching writing workshops for children, Haya aspired to further engage children in literacy and so started her own publishing house, Dar Shms. Through their workshops, Dar Shms helps children to create stories from an initial idea to producing the written words and creating the art. Included amongst the titles published by Dar Shms are books authored by children, such as Zayed, who developed a story about bullying and the need for kindness.
Haya was thrilled to share Dar Shms at the Abu Dhabi International Bookfair for the first time. She said, “The bookfair is a wonderful experience. We can see that children now have a lot of information and cultural experiences we didn’t have when we were their age. Now families know we need children to be reading, which is amazing.” Her sister added, “It creates awareness about the importance of reading. Now all the children are coming to the exhibition to read books.”
Logos Hope crewmembers also had the chance to connect with visitors through the ship’s stand, which provided books in different languages and at low prices. Josias (Haiti) said, “It was amazing to see the different stands and books being displayed. But it wasn’t only about books. There were lots of activities including art, chemistry, virtual reality and paper folding. I was thrilled to see how many people in the UAE were interested in books and that they care so much about quality education. I feel that Logos Hope successfully partners with this focus due to our own vision of sharing knowledge, help and hope.”
Highlighting the commonalities between the Abu Dhabi International Bookfair and Logos Hope, Manoa (Switzerland) said, “Life is constantly changing, and now everything is digital. Reading is still so important.” With the shared values of literacy and education, Logos Hope looks forward to future partnerships with Abu Dhabi and the greater UAE as she continues to serve in the region, sharing knowledge, help and hope.